Help and advice on achieving quality sleep for you and your baby

Mums Tips

Parenting Skills

Published on Wednesday, 05 August 2015 11:00

Last Updated on 01 August 2015

Amy Dunlap

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It can be difficult for the whole family when you have a baby that doesn’t sleep well. You and your partner are constantly tired and tense which can cause problems with each other as well as with yourself. You could become irritable, forgetful and even depressed, and despite your best efforts, a sleep deprived parent is simply not capable of being the best parent they could be. Here’s some tips of how to tackle baby sleep problems and solutions which will help you regain a well-rested family.

• The key to good night sleep usually depends on the quality of day time sleep so it’s important to make sure your baby is napping at the right time. Pull nap time back or forward so they don’t interfere with your baby’s night time sleep. For example, if your baby is wide awake at night time, their day time nap time needs to be pulled back a few hours and vice versa. It’s easy for babies to confuse day with night, so you can help them clarify the difference by establishing a daily bedtime routine when they are 6-8 weeks old. To increase your baby’s awareness of daytime, try to avoid blocking out any light or noise when they nap in the day to allow them to adjust to this environment. This will help your baby sleep better at night by understanding the difference between day and night. During naps, open a window in all seasons to allow constant fresh air and babies to adjust to outside noises.

• Make sure the environment your baby is in whilst sleeping is conducive to sleep. Don’t make it too quiet as babies need to realise sound around them is the norm. The ideal room temperature for your baby to sleep in is at 18 degrees centigrade to prevent them from getting too hot or too cold. It’s advised that the safest position for babies aged 0-6 months to sleep in is on their backs in a cot in the same room as the parents. It’s strongly advised not to sleep with your baby in your bed.

• On average, babies need 12 hours sleep a night to ensure they wake up revived and fresh. If your baby is a light sleeper and awakes easily, it might be useful to have some white noise in the background such as a fan to block out any other noise.

• It’s important to try and start the bedtime routine at the same time every day to ensure your baby knows when it needs to go to sleep. Try to keep your afternoons free to spend time with your baby doing activities which will help them use up their energy so they fall to sleep easily when their ready for bed.

• A sleeping bag is one of the most useful ways to help your baby sleep comfortably. It means your baby won’t wake in the middle of the night if they’re too hot or too cold and it acts as a safety aid for babies in their cot. They don’t have any excess clothing or blankets around them which could cause difficulty breathing. A sleeping bag allows your baby to wriggle around in the night without the worry of them accidentally covering their head. Sleeping bags are also easy for the parent as it requires a lot less sheets and blankets to worry about.

We hope these tips and advice have been helpful in resolving or helping any baby sleep problems you are having. If you have any advice or guidance of your own which you would like to share, please comment below!